The dark of night made those cracks harder to see and thus made flying a dangerous endeavour. Several times Pixel had let out a squeak of surprise as a flash of violet appeared before her eyes only to vanish a hair's breadth above her head as Switch ducked and swerved out of the way.

Burst didn't have an easy time himself. Those cracks took him by surprise and several times he'd faltered in a flurry of feathers to get around them. Fortunately for him, Vector was on his back. The meowstic removed two of the more complicated webs, clearing a large path for them, but the closer they got to the ground the worse they became.

Which was a shame, because all in all it was a beautiful night. In this area of System, there was less light pollution from cities, making the stars stand out brightly against the dark blue sky. Pixel would have enjoyed star gazing if she'd been given the chance.

Finally, Switch's talons touched the ground and he ducked to let her dismount. Burst landed beside her, his beak open as he tried to catch his breath.

"Well that wasn't easy," he gasped out.

"We would have waited until daylight," said Switch. "But unfortunately we'd have more distance to travel and... well, we don't want to waste any time."

He regained his human form and beat down his sleeves, avoiding the staraptor's eyes. After a short while, Burst shrugged and had a quick look around.

"I don't plan on trying to fly back in the dark. I think I'll scope out a hotel room for the night."

"Where?" asked Vector.

Burst pointed with a wing feather. "Just over there."

Pixel had to squint a little, but beyond the trees she could just make out the lingering lights from a small town.

"That's Backlink Town," he said. "Their hotel is mostly used by travelling pokemon. I've used it before myself."

"Why when you can just fly back to your island?" Vector nodded to the drifting continent miles above them.

"I ain't as young as I used to be," Burst told him. "Sometimes I don't wanna fly all that way, especially when it's back out over the ocean. Takes hours when the wind's against you!"

"Suit yourself," Vector said with a shrug. He turned and started to walk away, keeping one paw outstretched for any cracks.

Burst huffed through his nose and ruffled his feathers before turning back to Switch.

"That kid needs to learn some manners," he said.

Switch said nothing as he watched Vector move away. Pixel looked from the human to the meowstic and back, half expecting Switch to agree. Something seemed to have changed, but she couldn't work out what.

"To be honest, I'd like a rest myself," he finally said. "But I think we need to make tracks."

"I expected nothing less," said Burst. "Just make sure he doesn't overwork himself, okay? Scanner is rather worried about that."

Switch winked. "Noted."

"I wish you all the best," Burst told them. "Take care, and stay in touch!"

He gave Switch a firm stare which the human merely laughed at and waved a hand.

"I shall try my best," he said. "Provided I don't get zapped by any more ampharos."

Burst smiled broadly and spread his wings, hopping along the ground as he dodged a small crack then rose into the air.

Switch watched him vanish beyond the trees then turned back to Pixel.

"We should catch up to Vector before he loses us," he said. "That wouldn't exactly be a good start to our task now, would it?"

She gave a tinkling laugh and kept pace beside him as they jogged to catch up with Vector. The meowstic paused to look back at them and sighed.

"If you're done with your goodbyes-"

"How long until we reach the jungle, Vector?" Switch asked.

Again, no argument, no retort. Pixel's nose crinkled with confusion. She was definitely beginning to think she'd missed something.

Vector turned away and continued along the dirt road. "We should be there by dawn if we don't dawdle."

"Dawn, eh?" Switch yawned and stretched then folded his arms behind his head. He gave Pixel a warm smile that made his eyes crinkle. "Good job you had a nap, huh?"

...

The little bullet car soared through the night sky, its headlights leading the way as it twisted and turned between the web of cracks. N00b feared if it weren't for his headlights they would have been caught in those strange anomalies by now. Not to mention he was having to drive at a speed that mimicked one of those lorries going through Meta City's crowded streets, or at times a thread going through a needle's eye. The collision detector wasn't programmed to avoid those deadly, violet-leaking cracks. As the thick mass thinned out around them, he could clearly see the world below. Villages were engulfed in them, the street lamps and antennae providing the only light in those now derelict areas. The backbone mountain was well behind them now, but N00b hadn't failed to notice the path cutting through those cracks. What unnerved him was that the path was leading towards the Fracture. He had no intention of going there, but maybe there was a town or city they could land in that was clear of those cracks. Clear of the virus.

"How much longer?" Byte asked with a yawn.

"You can sleep, you know," said N00b. " You don't need to stay awake, because I've really no idea."

"I can't sleep in a moving vehicle," said Byte. "I don't know how Nybble does it."

N00b glanced at the emolga's reflection in his rear view mirror. His sister was huddled up to him with her head resting on his shoulder, just visible behind Leaf's sleeping form. A small smile spread across the terrier's face and he turned his attention back on their destination.

"I've noticed something."

Leaf's voice caused a yelp to fly out of N00b's mouth. His body stiffened from ear to tail and he glanced back at the ivysaur who prompted him to turn back around with a claw.

"Those cracks," said Leaf. "They've thinned out."

"I know," said N00b. "Has it always been that way though? Or is it just a coincidence?"

"It's strange behaviour to be a coincidence."

"We know nothing about them to confirm that though," said N00b. "All we know is they're dangerous and we need to stay away from them."

Leaf went silent and N00b glanced his reflection in the mirror observing the world below.

"Where were you going anyway?" he asked Leaf. "You never told me."

"That's because we had nowhere planned," said Leaf. "We were just going to keep heading north and investigate some areas that aren't riddled with cracks."

N00b made a thoughtful noise and shrugged. "Well it looks like you're out of luck. 'Cos everywhere down there is full of them."

"Where are you headed?"

"I finally got in touch with Switch. He told me they're heading to the Binary Jungle. I was going to go there."

"What?! When?!" Leaf leant forwards on his seat so that he was leaning so close to N00b he could feel his breath on the back of his ears. "You never told us!"

"It was via text," said N00b. "And you were asleep anyway. I thought you wouldn't object since Pixel is with him."

"She's all right?" Leaf let out a sigh and fell back in his seat. "Thank goodness!"

N00b fired him a grin through the mirror. "Have a soft spot for her, huh?"

"Not exactly. She's like a sister to me. Her and the twins are the closest thing to a family I have left."

"Ah." N00b sighed and his ears drooped. "Kinda like I am with my little group. At least when all this is over, you guys can still stick together."

"What do you mean?"

"Well you're all pokemon. There's no humans on your island."

A look of realisation spread over Leaf's face and he diverted his gaze to the passing scenery. "I guess you're right. I'm sorry."

"It's all right. I always knew they'd have to go home some time. And Connor will be so happy to get back to his own world. I know Snippet will be really sad to see them go. She's looked after all four of us like her own children."

Leaf was silent for a moment as he examined N00b's reflection. "You're an orphan?"

"Yeh! Me and Diode."

"If you don't mind me asking, why?"

"Keep it under your hat and I'll tell you." N00b grinned at Leaf's stiff nod. "My parents are both hackers. My dad taught me from being really young how to use computers and analyse code. Shortly after I turned two, I remember the police barging into the house and taking them both away. I was bundled into an orphanage where I met Diode. He's a quiet one. Only ever speaks to me or Snippet. He was there from being an egg. Snippet used to work there as well, see, and she took a liking to us. Took us both in after she retired, which wasn't even a year after I got there. We've been living with her ever since."

"Whoa." Byte blinked his large eyes. "A hacker?"

"What? That wasn't obvious?" N00b chuckled.

"I knew you knew your way around a computer, but... you said yourself you wouldn't call yourself a hacker so I just assumed..."

N00b laughed heartily and struck a paw on the steering wheel. "I only said that so those goons wouldn't turn me in! I only use my hacking skills for good. Rescuing Vector for instance."

Leaf had been silent as he took all this in. The look on his face told N00b he wasn't impressed, but after a moment there was a twinkle in his eye that said otherwise.

"I have to say I agree with you," he said. "I never thought much of hackers, but that poor meowstic might be dead by now if it weren't for you."

"Pixel and Switch helped out a lot as well," said N00b. "I was just the intel and get-away mobile."

"I think you were a lot more than that."

N00b closed his eyes and chuckled. "I guess I do have a pretty mean wild-charge. Ooh!" His eyes widened briefly and he nodded to the horizon. "There's Binary Jungle! Can you see it?"

Leaf and Byte leant forwards, and a small grumble came from Nybble as she rubbed her sleepy eyes.

Sprouting up amongst the black cracks stood the thick canopy of the Binary Jungle. It wasn't visible in this lack of light, but N00b could picture the binary-like steam rising from the leaves. He'd only seen it on the television, beautiful and green and filled with bug and grass type pokemon. It was even home to some fairy types.

He daren't think what state it lay in now.

...

Dim lights lit up the quarantine ward, only enhancing the eeriness that the presence of the virus itself brought with it. It was like this every night. Outside was pitch black, save for the street lights and flickering antennae. None of those lights were enough to light up the dingy corridor. Even after working there for weeks, Hertz was by no means immune to the atmosphere. It made his fur stand on end.

The blood splattered hazmat suits had been incinerated as soon as they arrived back at Central Meta Hospital with Bootstrap's team. His fur still had a chemical smell to it and it filled the clean hazmat suit's helmet. The smell alone wasn't enough to give another pokemon reassurance he was virus-free, but all of them had also received a scan. Fortunately not one of them showed signs of having contracted the virus.

The marowak stood just beside the door to a private ward, his arms crossed over his chest being the only sign he was feeling any anxiety about their new patient. Hertz was also anxious, but he wanted answers. That corrupted serperior was alive. Sedated, but alive. The sedation wasn't just for the pokemon's comfort either. If there was a risk he was going to explode again, it needed to be kept to an absolute minimum for the sake of everyone's safety.

Keeping everyone safe wasn't going to get them any answers though, was it?

Hertz pushed himself into the room and approached the unconscious reptile. The sheet over his long body bulged where steel plates and spines sprouted from his scales. Hertz kept one eye on him as he turned the dial on the machine, lowering the steady dosage that was being pumped into the serperior's veins.

"Hang on, Hertz," Bootstrap whispered harshly. "What do you think you're doing?"

"We won't know what's going on unless we ask, will we?" Hertz replied. "He hatched from one of those eggs. That means there's a chance he was there, in the thick of it all."

"But it's not safe! We don't even know what pokemon he is. What if he explodes again?"

"And what if he doesn't?"

"If he's scared and in pain it might be a reflex, like every single other victim that hatched from those eggs!"

Hertz looked back at him over his shoulder. "And your voice won't scare him? Keep it down. I won't be long."

Bootstrap grimaced and let the door close as he ducked out of the room, leaving Hertz alone with the serperior.

A few moments passed before the sleeping pokemon's eyes flittered open. A low groan escaped his mouth and one of his eyes locked onto the gallade.

Not a single hint of fear crossed Hertz's face, but he kept his claws on the dial just in case. So far so good. That pokemon was breathing much too heavily, but he was watching him. One thing reassured Hertz – there was sanity behind that eye.

"I'm sorry to wake you," Hertz said softly. "But I was wondering if you could answer some questions for me?"

"Questions?" the serperior gasped out. "What do you want to know?"

"Firstly, I want to know what species you are?"

The serperior laughed bitterly and closed his eyes. "I was a servine."

Servine? Hertz looked him up and down. His previous assumption had been only because of his long, limbless body, but he could see it in his face now. He looked too young to be a serperior.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Coil."

"Coil... I see." Hertz nodded as he looked him up and down again. "Well, Coil. I'm Doctor Hertz. And I'm hoping you might be able to tell me what went on in that village? Why did everyone suddenly explode out of an egg?"

Coil screwed his eyes shut and grit his teeth together. "I'm in pain, doctor."

"I'm aware of that. But you'll be in even more pain if you let yourself explode, not to mention you'll bring the whole hospital down with you. Try to hold yourself together and I'll put you back to sleep when we're done talking."

Coil opened one eye to watch Hertz as he pulled over a chair and fell down into it. His breathing was still heavy, but he was looking a lot more relaxed. Hertz had to give him credit that he was truly trying to remain calm.

"I'm really sorry to do this to you," Hertz said. "But like you I am desperate to find a cure for this virus. Right now, I would do anything to be rid of it. This world needs help, but we need to know what we're fighting if we're going to find a cure. Most of the patients that come in here are on death's door. Many of them aren't in control of their faculties. You, however, are. Is there anything you can tell me at all about what happened before you were... transformed?" He gestured with a paw at the patient's body.

Coil let out another groan as he strained to lift his head, but Hertz stopped him by raising his paw. Instead, the servine resigned himself to rolling over on his side so both eyes were locked on the gallade.

"It was the cracks," he said quietly. "They just appeared. The best way I can describe it is to say they sliced through the village. Anything they touched was destroyed. Buildings, pokemon. I watched them turn into eggs. I tried to outrun them, but... I couldn't."

"The cracks..." Hertz rubbed his paws together but he didn't take his eyes off Coil. "So they are linked to the virus."

"I don't know how much they're linked, or in what way, but I think it's safe to say they are."

"If what you say is true, then it's proof they are." Hertz stood up and reached for the dial. "Thank you, Coil. I'll let you go back to sleep."

"Wait, doctor."

Hertz paw froze on the dial as he looked back at Coil. Tears glistened in the corners of the servine's eyes. Coil licked his lips a few times and diverted his gaze away.

"Did you... did you happen to see my family in those eggs?" he asked.

Hertz stared at him for a moment as he tried to work out an answer. Suddenly he was back in that village, watching the eggs explode. Hiding in the van as screams tore through the air. Standing amongst a pool of red looking at the desolation. There was no way he was going to tell him all that. But no matter how sensitive he tried to be, the truth would probably crush him.

"No," he finally said. "I'm sorry, Coil, but you're the only survivor from that village."

Coil closed his eyes as tears streaked over his cheeks. "I feared as much."

"I'm really sorry," Hertz told him. "I know it won't bring your family back, but I promise you I'll try to find a cure. Sleep well."

Coil nodded stiffly and muttered a 'thank you' as Hertz turned the dial, letting the anaesthesia flow back into the pokemon's veins.

As he watched Coil fall under the effects of the anaesthesia, something gnawed inside his chest. Something that pushed a lump up into his throat. He tore himself away from the sleeping servine and dragged himself towards the door.

Bootstrap was still waiting for him, but whatever the marowak said fell on deaf ears. Hertz wouldn't stop walking. Not until he was out of the dingy, poorly lit hallway and inside the bright, white walls of the decontamination room. The hiss of the spray tore through the silence and he fell with his back against the wall, sliding down onto his bottom with his head in his hands.

No matter what he knew about that virus – what it did, where it came from – there was one thing he knew for sure. A cure wouldn't bring that poor servine's family back.

Just like it wouldn't bring back his family, either.